Corn-planter



.(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. BROWN.

001m PLANTER.

Patented May 29,1883.

l 'lllvllllll Illl To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE. I

GEORGE W. BROYVN, OF GALESBUBG, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

f SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,497, dated May 29, 1883. i Applicationfiled September-16.1880. (ModeL) Be it known that LGEORGE W. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gales- .bnrg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois," have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will ehableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of. this specification, in which- Figure 1 is atop plan of a corn-planter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation in the line a: x in Fig. l.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged side elevation of the depressing-lever, spring,and adjacentparts and section of the axle. Fig. 4 is an enlarged top q plan of, the depressing-lever, spring,and adjacent parts.

Thisinvention relates to corn-planters of that class in whicha rear frame mounted upon wheels is hinged to a forward frame carrying the seeding devices and in which a lever hinged to the rear frame is adapted to raise nection with the machine to not offer increased resistance to the elevation of the runners as they are elevated; second, to provide a spring orsprings for forcing 'the runnersinto the ground, which shall yield to allow the runners to pass over obstacles which cannotbe cut through, and which shall exert a diminishing downward force on the runners as they are more elevated, in order to diminish the labor of raising them above the surface ofthe ground bythe operator; third, in thatclass of cornplanters having a forward frame carrying the runners and seeding devices hinged to a rear frame supported on wheels to force. the runners intothe ground bymeans of a spring or springs attachedto the rear frame and adapted to exert a yielding downward force on the forward frame and runners.- 7

Furtherobjects and purposes of the improvethe bar F nay be journaled.

| ments are hereinafter described, and the combinations and constructions from which they result are set forth in the claims hereto annexed. v 1

Referring to the drawings by letters, letters A A represent the forward frame and. B the rear frame ofan ordinary corn-planting machine which may be constructed as shown in the drawings, or in any other desired manner, and may be hinged to each other at a, as shown, or at any other desired point which permits either frame at its distal end to rise and fall without disturbing the other frame.

The forward frame is provided with ordinary runners or furrow-openers, (l, seed-boxes O, with seeding devices, seat 0, tongue 0, with rear extension, D, and footpcdals or arms D. The rear frame is mounted on ordinary wheels, E.

F isfan ordinary seat-barfor supporting the drivers seat F, and may be attached to the rear frame-in any ordinary manner. In the drawings it is shown as journaled at its midlength, atf, to the upper ends ofstandards, G, which project upward from the rear frame, bar, or fixed ax-le A, and its forward end hinged to the rear end of the extension D of the forward frame. The upper end of each standard G has two arms,-g, to either of which H is a lever, shown in the drawing as pivoted or journaled to standards I, which project upward from the frame-bar A, and is provided atits rear end with foot-plate J, and hinged at its forward end to theextension D by links K." The lever H may be journaled to standards I, as shown, or it may be journaled to the seat-bar or to the standards G, or to any part or projection from the rear frame, B, and may be hinged to the extension D, or to any other suitable part of the forward frame, as desired, and as done in ordinary corn-planters where such lever is used to raise and lower the forward frame. As shown in the draw- ;bar, hfland at their rear ends by the footplate J.

L is aspiral spring, its forward end secured to the bar It between the bars h, and its rear end secured to a stud-bolt, l, which is hinged to a rod, 1. e The rod l passes through a standis held by a nut, m, which may be adjusted on the rod Z to increase or diminish the tension of the spring L, so that it will draw with a' greater or lesser force, as desired, rearward on the forward end of the lever H. The connection of the rod Z to the standard m is at such height that when the rear end of the lever H is depressed to raise its forward end for the purpose of raising the runners U entirely above the ground the springL Willbe brought about in a line with the lever H, as shown by dotted lines at Figs. 2 and 3, and when in such position the spring will exert a force endlong on the lever H, and hence not exert any upward nor downward force on the forward end of said lever. As the forward end of the lever H is lowered to bringthe runners G into position for operation in the field, as shown by full lines at Figs. 2 and 3, the spring L will assume such an angle to the lever H as to exert a downward force on its forward end, and thereby exert a downward force on the forward frame and runners O, which will aid in keeping'the runners in the ground, and at the same time yield to allow them to pass over.

the downward force of the spring on the lever thereby decreased, so that the resistance of the spring against elevating the runners 0 above the ground is reduced to the minimum.

The lever H may be formed of-a single bar or otherwise, if preferred, and the spring L may be connected at its forward end to the exten-' sion D or to any other suitable part of the forward frame; but I prefer connecting it to the forward end .of the lever H.

N is an elbow-lever pivoted or hinged at its bend by a bolt, n, to the under side of the seat bar F, its forward end formed into branches n, which pass downward and close to theouter sides ofthe bars h, and have catches a with inclined faces 42 on their lower ends. The rear end, N, of the lever N extends back to within reach of the driver on his seat F, and is of such weight as to throw the branches it forward, so that their inclined faces will rest, respectively, against lugs h on the bars h, when the forward end of the lever H is lowered, as shown by full lines at Figs. 2 and 3. As the lever His raised at its forward end the catches n will slide over the caml'ugs h, and when the forward frame is elevated, as shown by dotted lines at Figs. 2 and 3, the weight of the end N will force the catches n beneath the lugs h, so that they may sustain the forward frame in an elevated position for turning around and for other purposes. The driver may readily release the catches n from the lugs 71/, without moving from his seat,bydrawingupward on the end N.

In that class of seeding-machines having vertically-swinging drag-bars. with seed-conducting spouts attached to them springs have been used to exert a yielding downward force on the free ends of said drag-bars; but said springs have been of but little practical use, even in that class of seeders, because their force diminished as the seed-spouts were lowored, so as to be inoperative, or nearly so, where most required, and because their force increased as the drag-bars and spouts were elevated, and thus rendered it difficult to elevate said drag-bars and their spouts or seedconducting tubes.

Springs of various kinds -and capable of difierent functions have been used in cultivators, hay-rakes, markers, harrows, and other agricultural implements, and I do not make any claim herein to their use in other than corn-planters.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a corn-planter, the combination, with a forward frame mounted on runners, and a rear frame hinged thereto and mounted on wheels, and a lever hinged directly or indirectly to the wheel-frame and adapted to raise and lower the forward frame, of a spring connected at one end to the wheel-frame and at the other end to said lever, and adapted to exert a downward force on the forward end of the lever, and thereby a similar force on'the runner-frame.

' 2. In combination with the forward and rear frames of a planter, hinged to each other, and with the lever hinged to the rear frame and adapted to raise and lower the forward frame, a spring, L, connected at one end to the rear frame and at its other end to said lever, and adapted to exert a downward force on the lever and forward frame, substantially as and for in same horizontal plane as the forward end of the lever, to which the forward end of the spring is attached, is when elevated, whereby the spring may exert an increasing downwardly-acting force on the forward frame as said frame is lowered, and vice versa, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with the swinging lever H and framesA B of a corn-planter, the spring L, connected with the rear frame and with the lever H, so as to swing vertically by the movement of the lever, but on a different fulcrum from said lever, whereby the angle between the spring and lever may be increased as the forward frame is lowered, and thereby an increased force be exerted by the spring on the forward frame as it descends, and vice versa, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

5. In a corn-planter, the combination, with a vertically-swinging frame carrying the runners, a vertically-swim gin g lever by which said IIO 27s,491 i a frame is raised and lowered, and a frame to handle, N, which, by its gravity, may engage which the runner-frame is hinged, of a spring the catches 'n and lugs h", and may be used which oscillates with said lever and is adapted to release them, substantially as and for the to exert an increased downward force on the purpose specified. a

i 5 runners as they are lowered, and vice versa. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 6. In combination with the forward runnerpresence of 'two witnesses.

frame and rear wheelrframe hinged to each other, and with the raising and lowering lever GEORGE BROWN 1 H, having cam-lugs h, the elbow-lever N Witnesses:

10 having one end provided with catches n and H. A. ALLEN,

its other 'end extended rearward to form a JENNIE S. COWAN. 

